today at one: prince harry has reached an out—of—court settlement with the owner of the sun. news group newspapers has offered him a full and unequivocal apology for serious intrusions into his private life. it's agreed to pay him substantial undisclosed damages. today the lies are laid bare. today the cover—ups are exposed, and today

proves no one stands above the law. the time for accountability has arrived. also on the programme.. the man who stabbed carol hunt to death and fatally

carried out unlawful information gathering into his private life. our media and arts correspondent david sillito reports. prince harry's long battle against the press, fuelled by a fury that began with its treatment of his mother, princess diana, has today culminated in what he describes as a monumental victory. i've been asked to read out a statement on behalf of the duke of sussex and lord watson. outside the court where his trial challenging the publisher of the sun and the news of the world was about to begin, a statement from his barrister about an apology

and a settlement from news group newspapers. in a monumental victory today, news uk have admitted that the sun, the flagship title for rupert murdoch's uk media empire, had indeed engaged in illegal practices. this represents a vindication for the hundreds of other claimants who were strong—armed into settling without being able to get to the truth of what was done to them. after endless resistance, denials and legal battles by news group newspapers, including spending more than £1 billion in payouts and in legal costs, as well as paying off those in the know in order to prevent the full picture from coming out, news uk is finally held to account for its illegal actions and its blatant disregard for the law. the scandal began when it emerged

that the phone of the murdered schoolgirl milly dowler had been hacked. for one politician who took on news group and today also received an apology, this long battle has taken its toll. these unlawful practices were not isolated incidents. they were industrial in scale and central to the modus operandi of news group newspapers as a whole. i once said that the big beasts of the tabloid jungle have no predators. i was wrong. they have prince harry. his bravery and astonishing courage have brought accountability to a part of the media world that thought it was untouchable. it is m years since the news of the world was closed, but today's apology also acknowledges wrongdoing by the sun. in a statement, it says...

so while he didn't get his chance for a day in court, today's settlement does cover £10 million of legal costs. it is, he says, a monumental victory. david sillito, bbc news. our correspondent helena wilkinson is outside the high court. helena, there may be some surprised that prince harry has settled rather than have his time in court. he and tom watson have described this as a monumental victory. yes, surprise at the last—minute settlement. there was supposed to be the eight—week trial but we had the news a settlement has been agreed. i think it is simple for prince harry

and tom watson, they have received what prince harry's barrister david sherborne said outside court after, a monumental victory, and they will feel vindicated given that they had the full and unequivocal apology from news group newspapers. it is a huge settlement in that it is the first time ngn have apologised to prince harry, and also for prince harry this apology is a very personal one as well. it mentions his late mother, princess diana. i want to bring you a statement we had in the last few moments from ngn newspapers. "today our apology to the duke of sausage includes apologies for incidents of unlawful activities carried out by private investigators working for the sun, not journalists, investigators working for the sun, notjournalists, and they say investigators working for the sun, not journalists, and they say there are strong controls and processes in

place at all our titles today to ensure this cannot happen now". there was no voice mail interception on the sun. both claimants, prince harry and tom watson, will be awarded substantial damages and ngn avoid a very high profile trial here a 26—year—old man has admitted murdering three members of the family of the bbc racing commentator, john hunt. kyle clifford stabbed mr hunt's wife carol at their home in bushey in hertfordshire injuly, and shot two of the couple's daughters, 25—year—old louise and 28—year—old hannah with a crossbow. he had initially denied three counts of murder but changed his plea at cambridge crown court this morning. our reporter, nickjohnson is at court in cambridge. sarah, a dramatic moment in court.

earlier thejudge mr sarah, a dramatic moment in court. earlier the judge mrjusticejohnson asked kyle clifford who appeared via video link how he pleaded to the murder of carol hunt. guilty, he replied. how he pleaded to the murder of hannah hunt. he replied guilty, and also to the murder of louise hunt. he admitted to having a ten inch knife and a crossbow and detaining miss hunt. but denied raping louise hunt, that trial will happen later this year. kyle clifford was dressed in a burgundy switcher, sitting on a chair, and remained emotionless throughout. the attacks in bushey last year spiked a manhunt resulting in kyle clifford's a rest, as my colleague now reports. kyle clifford, caught on cctv leaving an alleyway leading from the hunt family home on the day of the murders. he is carrying a large object

before entering a car. this morning kyle clifford pleaded guilty to carrying two offensive weapons. a knife and a crossbow. he also pleaded guilty to murdering 61—year—old carol hunt, a mother and wife to racing commentatorjohn hunt. their daughters, 28—year—old hannah, a beautician, and 25—year—old louise, who ran a dog grooming business and was an ex—girlfriend to kyle clifford. a family and community left in shock. the women were remembered at vigils and a church service shortly after they were murdered. leigh was an old friend of carol. lovely girl. sweet, kind girl. always thought about her family. very family orientated. i just feel for their eldest daughter.

and john. ijust can't imagine what it would be like. the nicest, kindest, sweetest person. a beautiful person. at the nicest, kindest, sweetest person. a beautiful person. at the time, person. a beautiful person. at the time. john — person. a beautiful person. at the time, john hunt _ person. a beautiful person. at the time, john hunt and _ person. a beautiful person. at the time, john hunt and the _ person. a beautiful person. at the time, john hunt and the couple's i time, john hunt and the couple's daughter amy said the devastation we are experiencing cannot be put into words. the horse racing community rallied around them. here is a moment of silence at newmarket in july. john�*s bbc sports colleague mark chapman paid this emotional tribute. , . , mark chapman paid this emotional tribute. , ., , , mark chapman paid this emotional tribute. , . , , ., tribute. this has been a heartbreaking _ tribute. this has been a heartbreaking day. - tribute. this has been a heartbreaking day. john tribute. this has been a - heartbreaking day. john hunt is tribute. this has been a _ heartbreaking day. john hunt is our colleague and our friend, heartbreaking day. john hunt is our colleague and ourfriend, notjust in the current 5 live sport team but all of those who have worked here with him over the past 20 years. and also to all of you who have enjoyed his superb commentaries.

also to all of you who have en'oyed his superb commentaries.�* his superb commentaries. today 26-year-old _ his superb commentaries. today 26-year-old kyle _ his superb commentaries. today 26-year-old kyle clifford - his superb commentaries. today | 26-year-old kyle clifford pleaded 26—year—old kyle clifford pleaded not guilty to the charge of raping louise hunt. during his attack on the family. the trial is expected to begin on that specific charge later this year. a family has been left devastated by his brutal violence in a home where they should have found safety. amongst those other charges, appearing via video link today kyle clifford pleaded not guilty in relation to the rape of louise hunt, the child for that case expected later this year. —— the trial. a 14—year—old boy has been arrested on suspicion of murder after the stabbing of a 12—year—old boy in birmingham yesterday. the victim was found with serious injuries in hall green and later died in hospital. 0ur midlands correspondent phil mackie reports. another young life has been lost to the scourge of knife crime. these pictures were taken yesterday afternoon. the boy was stabbed on his way home

from school and nothing could be done to save him. today the grief was palpable. rowena's son was at school with the boy who died. i'm a mum, i'm a nurse. i'm a mum and a nurse and everything else. and i walk my dog in the park next to it. it's just sad that something like this has had to happen and potentially he was on his own for a little bit. and the length of time it took for people to sort of reach him. maybe it was too late by the time i got to him. it's just sad. another life has been taken too early. he didn't deserve this, from what my children say. he was a lovely caring, innocent little boy. a relative sent the bbc this tribute. i've spoken to the relative who said the statement said that the

boy was on a ten—minute walk home when the incident happened. she said that he had only just started at secondary school and he had his whole life ahead of him. locals say the park where the boy was stabbed has been plagued by anti—social behaviour and low—level criminality. knife crime is a constant worry. last year the west midlands had the highest rate of that type of offence in the uk. my message to the wider community and young people is you must not carry knives. and to parents and carers of children, we really have to enforce that message collectively as the police and the community. everyone, you must not carry knives and we must not use knives because these are the tragic consequences of it. the 14—year—old boy arrested on suspicion of murder is also being questioned in connection with an assault in the same area last sunday on an 80—year—old woman. the family of the boy who died are being cared for. birmingham city council has described what happened is a

senseless tragedy. the boy's school has said it is a very sad day. they are consoling fellow pupils at the school. knife crime has been a big issue notjust here but in every major city in the uk over the last couple of years. the police and crime commissioner here in the west midlands set up a task force last year, an operation called project guardian that has been going on for some years where they target particular areas. recently a cctv camera was put up in this park where the boy has died, police will be studying that. unfortunately the message just isn't getting through and we keep seeing more and more young people losing their lives in these awful circumstances. phil mackie in birmingham, thank you. people trying to buy knives online will face tougher measures to prove their age under new restrictions being brought forward in the wake of the stabbings in southport. axel rudakubana was only 17 when he bought a blade on amazon, before using it to kill three girls at a dance studio.

the new rules would force websites to carry out stricter checks on customers such as providing two forms of identification, inlcuding a live webcam appearance. 0ur political correspondent ben wright has more. the murder of three young girls in southport last summer has prompted national anguish and a public inquiry into state failure. one area the inquiry will examine is the ease with which axel rudakubana bought a kitchen knife on amazon to carry out the attack. he was just 17 at the time, despite existing laws banning the sale of most knives to under 18. tougher id checks are now coming, but one former prosecutor says retailers should also have to tell the authorities if they have refused to sell somebody a knife. they ought to be able to record that and send it to the police or any other investigator and say somebody is trying to buy a knife, we've stopped them from doing so. at the moment that doesn't happen.

so they can go and try some other retailer. so it's, yeah, absolutely. anything that will make it more difficult for a violent offender to get ahold of a weapon should be welcomed, but it has to be properly enforced. soon, online retailers will be forced to ask anyone buying a knife for two types of identification, such as a passport and record video of themselves to prove their age. amazon has promised an investigation into what happened and said it already verifies someone's id when orders for bladed items are placed and delivered. have you failed the people of southport, prime minister? in the commons this lunchtime, sir keir starmer said this was now a defining moment for the country. the senseless, barbaric murder of three young girls in southport was devastating. a measure ofjustice has been done, but for the victims, the injured and the affected, we must see a fundamental change in how britain protects its citizens and its children. as part of the public inquiry, mr

speaker, we will not let any institution deflect from their failures. tougher knife measures will be one response to the murders in southport. but from changing terror laws to trying to tackle violence online, ministers have suggested there are many other, more contentious fronts that require action too. ben wright, bbc news, westminster. palestinian authorities say at least ten people have been killed in a major israeli military operation in the occupied west bank, which has entered its second day. local media reports ten palestinians were killed and nearly a0 others injured in air strikes yesterday, as a large number of israeli troops entered the city ofjenin and its refugee camp. israel says it's targeting what it calls terrorists. it comes three days after the start of a ceasefire in gaza. around a thousand north korean soldiers deployed to fight ukrainian forces in russia's kursk region have been killed. western officials, who asked to remain anonymous, told the bbc the overall casualty rate for north korea's forces is now nearly a0 per cent.

a national day of mourning is underway in turkey, after a fire at a ski resort hotel killed at least 76 people. an investigation has been launched into the blaze, which took 12 hours to put out. nine people, including the hotel's owner, have been arrested. government borrowing rose more than expected in december, hitting its highest level for the month forfour years, according to official figures. borrowing — the difference between how much the government spends and how much tax is collected — was 17.8 billion pounds last month. around three billion higher than predicted by the office for budget responsibility. december�*s level of borrowing was £10.1 billion more than the government borrowed in the same month the previous year. the amount borrowed was the highest december figure for four years.

0ur economic editor faisal islam joins us now from davos in switzerland where the chancellor also is. faizal, how much of a concern will this be? as you say the chancellor and business secretary are on a sales mission as regards the british economy here at the world economic forum and those numbers were quite a mess in terms of the extra borrowing in december. there are one—off factors. it did not seem to move the markets at all and it goes to show i think how everyone wants to know the answer to the question of where the growth is going to come from in the uk economy. we've heard a lot about it being the number—one mission in the past few months and i think that we are getting somewhat interesting answers. some big judgment calls being made by the government to this audience of movers and shakers here at world economic forum. moves on financial regulation, the regulation essentially of big tech, firing the competition commissioner, the head

of that organisation and saying that they will change the visa system and to attract entrepreneurs as well. and on the critical issue of expansion of airports stressing that they've already allowed that in some cases. 0n heathrow and gatwick not quite confirming it but certainly the chancellor is speaking to broadcasters and she gave a big hit earlier. when the last government faced difficult decisions about whether to support infrastructure investment. the answer always seemed to be no. and we can't carry on like that because if we do, we'll miss out on crucial investment here into britain. so number one mission of this government is to grow the economy. you've already seen a number of decisions, including on stansted and city airport. 0n energy projects, on transport infrastructure, because we are determined to grow the economy. so she wants to say yes to these big projects the significance of saying that message right here is that the big funds based in the gulf and

america of those airports are here in davos and they want to hear a different message from the government for that they want to hear that they're open for business their investments are welcome. thank ou. the time is 13.20. our top story this afternoon. prince harry has reached an out—of—court settlement with the owner of the sun newspaper. news group newspapers has agreed to pay him substantial undisclosed damages. �*kindness' wins the children's vote as word of the year — we'll be discussing that and how their choice is influenced by events around the world. coming up on bbc news. chelsea women have signed usa defender naomi girma for a world—record fee of £890,000. convicted benefit cheats could be stripped of their driving licences for up to two years under draft legislation.

the bill is being introduced in parliament today. it would also see officials have powers to recover money directly from bank accounts of those not on benefits — but who owe the government. ministers say they are "turning off the tap" — to stop people stealing from tax—payers. 0ur political correspondent jack fenwick reports. that my right honourable friend... at the budget three months ago, the chancellor said this. i can today announce a crackdown on fraud in our welfare system. and today we've had the details. the plans could see new powers to retrieve the bank account details of some benefit claimants, and for government officials to recover public cash lost to fraud during covid, as well as people who defraud the system to the tune of £1,000 being stripped of their driving licence. the government department responsible can already take away

driving licences of the government minister could not say how often the powers are used. i minister could not say how often the powers are used. i do minister could not say how often the powers are used-— powers are used. i do not have the number of — powers are used. i do not have the number of the _ powers are used. i do not have the number of the top _ powers are used. i do not have the number of the top of _ powers are used. i do not have the number of the top of my _ powers are used. i do not have the number of the top of my head - powers are used. i do not have the number of the top of my head but | powers are used. i do not have the i number of the top of my head but the proposals are brought forward by an experienced team who are trying to bring together powers to make sure we can bring down the level of fraud in the system. high street banks are understood to be uneasy about the department for work and pensions forcing them to hand over details about claimants thought to be cheating the system. as are charities who help people with their claims. what we need is a system that supports instead of suspects. we need support, not suspicion. there are hundreds of thousands of people in the uk who need support to get back on their feet, get back into work. immediately making people feel that they're going to be suspected as they apply for benefits or as their circumstances change is a real inhibitor for getting the support that we need to get back on our feet. but the cabinet minister responsible insists the measures would save the taxpayer up to £1.5 billion over the next five years.

the work and pensions secretary said people need to have confidence the government is opening all available doors to tackle fraud and eliminate waste, and said it would lead to greater consequences for fraudsters who cheat and evade the system. those worried will be watching events at westminster today in the hope of hearing more about when exactly bank account details might have to be shared. jack fenwick, bbc news, westminster. eight men have gone on trial in manchester, following the sexual exploitation of two teenagers over 20 years ago. the 56 charges include rape, indecency with a child and procuring a girl to have unlawful sex. the courts heard the girls were 13 at the time of the offences and the abuse lasted forjust over three years. 0ur north of england correspondent, fiona trott is outside manchester crown court. fiona. the prosecution has told the jury these girls became sex slaves from

about the age of 13 and they were passed around. and the judge said the girls were vulnerable, one had beenin the girls were vulnerable, one had been in care since the age of seven and had been in various homes around rochdale. the other lived with her mother but had no real home life to speak of through no fault of their own, he said, their troubled backgrounds made them susceptible. and theyjust backgrounds made them susceptible. and they just wanted backgrounds made them susceptible. and theyjust wanted a sense of belonging, thejury and theyjust wanted a sense of belonging, the jury were told. they were made to feel like grown—ups with alcohol and drugs and places to stay in people to be with. the court was also told one incident was recorded and the girl who is 143